February 12, 2013OBAMA: Thank you. Please, everybody, have a seat. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress,fellow Americans, 51 years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to thischamber that ``the Constitution makes us not rivals for power,but partners for progress.'' (APPLAUSE) ``It is my task,'' he said, ``to report the state of theunion. To improve it is the task of us all.'' Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of theAmerican people, there is much progress to report. After adecade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform arecoming home. (APPLAUSE) After years of grueling recession, our businesses havecreated over 6 million new jobs. We buy more American cars thanwe have in five years and less foreign oil than we have in 20. (APPLAUSE) Our housing market is healing, our stock market isrebounding, and consumers, patients and homeowners enjoystronger protections than ever before.

OBAMA: So, together, we have cleared away the rubble ofcrisis, and we can say with renewed confidence that the state ofour union is stronger. (APPLAUSE) But -- but we gather here knowing that there are millionsof Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet beenrewarded. Our economy is adding jobs, but too many people stillcan't find full- time employment. Corporate profits haveskyrocketed to all-time highs, but for more than a decade, wagesand incomes have barely budged. It is our generation's task,then, to reignite the true engine of America's economic growth:a rising, thriving middle class. (APPLAUSE) It is -- it is our unfinished task to restore the basicbargain that built this country, the idea that if you work hardand meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matterwhere you come from, no matter what you look like or who youlove. It is our unfinished task to make sure that this governmentworks on behalf of the many, and not just the few, that itencourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, andopens the doors of opportunity to every child across this greatnation.

OBAMA: The American people don't expect government tosolve every problem. They don't expect those of us in thischamber to agree on every issue. But they do expect us to putthe nation's interests before party. (APPLAUSE) They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where wecan, for they know that America moves forward only when we do sotogether and that the responsibility of improving this unionremains the task of us all. Our work must begin by making some basic decisions aboutour budget, decisions that will have a huge impact on thestrength of our recovery. Over the last few years, both partieshave worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5trillion, mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising taxrates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. As a result, weare more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficitreduction that economists say we need to stabilize our finances.

Now we need to finish the job. And the question is: How? In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both partiescouldn't agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about atrillion dollars' worth of budget cuts would automatically gointo effect this year. These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cutswould jeopardize our military readiness, they'd devastatepriorities like education and energy and medical research. Theywould certainly slow our recovery and cost us hundreds ofthousands of jobs. And that's why Democrats, Republicans,business leaders, and economists have already said that thesecuts -- known here in Washington as ``the sequester'' -- are areally bad idea. Now, some in this Congress have proposed preventing onlythe defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things likeeducation and job training, Medicare and Social Securitybenefits. That idea is even worse. (APPLAUSE) Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the risingcost of health care for an aging population. And those of uswho care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace theneed for modest reforms. Otherwise, our retirement programswill crowd out the investments we need for our children andjeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for futuregenerations. But we can't ask senior citizens and working families toshoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while askingnothing more from the wealthiest and the most powerful. (APPLAUSE) We won't grow the middle class simply by shifting the costof health care or college onto families that are alreadystruggling or by forcing communities to lay off more teachersand more cops and more firefighters. Most Americans --Democrats, Republicans and independents -- understand that wecan't just cut our way to prosperity. They know thatbroad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach todeficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and witheverybody doing their fair share. And that's the approach I offer tonight. On Medicare, I'mprepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount ofhealth care savings by the beginning of the next decade as thereforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission. (APPLAUSE) Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow thegrowth of health care costs. (APPLAUSE) And -- and the reforms I'm proposing go even further.We'll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companiesand ask more from the wealthiest seniors.

(APPLAUSE) We'll bring down costs by changing the way our governmentpays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn't be basedon the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital.They should be based on the quality of care that our seniorsreceive. (APPLAUSE) And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, solong as they don't violate the guarantee of a secure retirement.Our government shouldn't make promises we cannot keep, but wemust keep the promises we've already made. (APPLAUSE) To hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we shoulddo what leaders in both parties have already suggested and savehundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholesand deductions for the well-off and the well-connected. Afterall, why would we choose to make deeper cuts to education andMedicare just to protect special interest tax breaks? How isthat fair? Why is it that deficit reduction is a big emergency,justifying making cuts in Social Security benefits, but notclosing some loopholes? How does that promote growth? (APPLAUSE) Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive taxreform that encourages job creation and helps bring down thedeficit. (APPLAUSE) We can get this done. (APPLAUSE) The American people deserve a tax code that helps smallbusinesses spend less time filling out complicated forms andmore time expanding and hiring, a tax code that ensuresbillionaires with high- powered accountants can't work thesystem and pay a lower rate than their hard-working secretaries,a tax code that lowers incentives to move jobs overseas andlowers tax rates for businesses and manufacturers that arecreating jobs right here in the United States of America. (APPLAUSE) That's what tax reform can deliver. That's what we can dotogether. (APPLAUSE) I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform will notbe easy. The politics will be hard for both sides. None of uswill get 100 percent of what we want. But the alternative willcost us jobs, hurt our economy, visit hardship on millions ofhardworking Americans. So let's set party interests aside and work to pass abudget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wiseinvestments in our future. And let's do it without thebrinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors. (APPLAUSE) The greatest nation on Earth -- the greatest nation onEarth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from onemanufactured crisis to the next. We can't do it. (APPLAUSE) Let's agree -- let's agree, right here, right now, to keepthe people's government open and pay our bills on time andalways uphold the full faith and credit of the United States ofAmerica. (APPLAUSE) The American people have worked too hard, for too long,rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials causeanother. Now... (APPLAUSE) ... most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit mustbe part of our agenda. But let's be clear: Deficit reductionalone is not an economic plan. (APPLAUSE) A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs,that must be the North Star that guides our efforts. (APPLAUSE) Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as anation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do weequip our people with the skills they need to get those jobs?And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?

OBAMA: A year-and-a-half ago, I put forward an AmericanJobs Act that independent economists said would create more than1 million new jobs. And I thank the last Congress for passingsome of that agenda; I urge this Congress to pass the rest.But... (APPLAUSE) ... tonight I'll lay out additional proposals that arefully paid for and fully consistent with the budget frameworkboth parties agreed to just 18 months ago. Let me repeat:Nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by asingle dime. It is not a bigger government we need, but asmarter government that sets priorities and invests inbroad-based growth. (APPLAUSE) That's what we should be looking for. (APPLAUSE) Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobsand manufacturing. After shedding jobs for more than 10 years,our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the pastthree. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford isbringing jobs back from Mexico. And this year, Apple will startmaking Macs in America again. (APPLAUSE) There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate thistrend. Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovationinstitute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse isnow a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the3-D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way wemake almost everything. There's no reason this can't happen inother towns. So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more ofthese manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with theDepartments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind byglobalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I askthis Congress to help create a network of 15 of these hubs andguarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is maderight here in America. We can get that done. (APPLAUSE) Now, if we want to make the best products, we also have --have to invest in the best ideas. Every dollar we invested tomap the human genome returned $140 to our economy. Everydollar. Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain tounlock the answers to Alzheimer's. We're developing drugs toregenerate damaged organs, devising new materials to makebatteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gutthese job-creating investments in science and innovation. Nowis the time to reach a level of research and development notseen since the height of the space race. We need to make thoseinvestments. (APPLAUSE) Today, no area holds more promise than our investments inAmerican energy. After years of talking about it, we're finallypoised to control our own energy future. We produce more oil athome than we have in 15 years. (APPLAUSE) We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallonof gas and the amount of renewable energy we generate fromsources like wind and solar, with tens of thousands of good,American jobs to show for it. We produce more natural gas thanever before, and nearly everyone's energy bill is lower becauseof it. And over the last four years, our emissions of thedangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet haveactually fallen. But for the sake of our children and our future, we must domore to combat climate change.

(APPLAUSE) OBAMA: Now... (APPLAUSE) Now, it's true that no single event makes a trend. But thefact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in thelast 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods, all are nowmore frequent and more intense. We can choose to believe thatSuperstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, andthe worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just afreak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in theoverwhelming judgment of science and act before it's too late. (APPLAUSE) Now, the good news is, we can make meaningful progress onthis issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge thisCongress to get together, pursue a bipartisan, market-basedsolution to climate change, like the one John McCain and JoeLieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won't act soon to protect futuregenerations, I will. I will direct... (APPLAUSE) I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actionswe can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepareour communities for the consequences of climate change, andspeed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy. Now, four years ago, other countries dominated theclean-energy market and the jobs that came with it. And we'vebegun to change that. Last year, wind energy added nearly halfof all new power capacity in America. So let's generate evenmore. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year. Let's drive downcosts even further. As long as countries like China keep goingall-in on clean energy, so must we. Now, in the meantime, the natural gas boom has led tocleaner power and greater energy independence. We need toencourage that. That's why my administration will keep cuttingred tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. (APPLAUSE) That's got to be part of an all-of-the-above plan. But Ialso want to work with this Congress to encourage the researchand technology that helps natural gas burn even cleaner andprotects our air and our water. In fact, much of our newfound energy is drawn from landsand waters that we, the public, own together. So tonight, Ipropose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund anEnergy Security Trust that will drive new research andtechnology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good. If a nonpartisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals andadmirals can get behind this idea, then so can we. Let's taketheir advice and free our families and businesses from thepainful spikes in gas prices we've put up with for far too long. I'm also issuing a new goal for America: Let's cut in halfthe energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20years. (APPLAUSE) We'll work with the states to do it. Those states with thebest ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructingmore efficient buildings will receive federal support to helpmake that happen. America's energy sector is just one part of an aginginfrastructure badly in need of repair. Ask any CEO wherethey'd rather locate and hire, a country with deterioratingroads and bridges or one with high-speed rail and Internet,high-tech schools, self- healing power grids. The CEO of Siemens America -- a company that broughthundreds of new jobs to North Carolina -- has said that if weupgrade our infrastructure, they'll bring even more jobs. Andthat's the attitude of a lot of companies all around the world.And I know you want these job-creating projects in yourdistrict; I've seen all those ribbon- cuttings. (LAUGHTER) So, tonight, I propose a ``Fix-It-First'' program to putpeople to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs,like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across thecountry. (APPLAUSE) And to make sure taxpayers don't shoulder the whole burden,I'm also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America thatattracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses needmost: modern ports to move our goods; modern pipelines towithstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children. (APPLAUSE) Let's prove there's no better place to do business thanhere in the United States of America, and let's start rightaway. We can get this done.

OBAMA: And part of our rebuilding effort must also involveour housing sector. The good news is, our housing market isfinally healing from the collapse of 2007. Home prices arerising at the fastest pace in six years. Home purchases are upnearly 50 percent. And construction is expanding again. But even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too manyfamilies with solid credit who want to buy a home are beingrejected. Too many families who have never missed a payment andwant to refinance are being told no. That's holding our entireeconomy back. We need to fix it. Right now, there's a bill in this Congress that would giveevery responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000a year by refinancing at today's rates. Democrats andRepublicans have supported it before. So what are we waitingfor? Take a vote and send me that bill. (APPLAUSE) Why are -- why would we be against that? (APPLAUSE) Why would that be a partisan issue, helping folksrefinance? Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsibleyoung families from buying their first home. What's holding usback? Let's streamline the process and help our economy grow. Now, these initiatives in manufacturing, energy,infrastructure, housing, all these things will helpentrepreneurs and small-business owners expand and create newjobs. But none of it will matter unless we also equip ourcitizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs. (APPLAUSE) And that has to start at the earliest possible age. Youknow, study after study shows that the sooner a child beginslearning, the better he or she does down the road. But today,fewer than three in ten 4-year-olds are enrolled in ahigh-quality preschool program. Most middle-class parents can'tafford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool. Andfor poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access topreschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives. So, tonight, I propose working with states to makehigh-quality preschool available to every single child inAmerica. (APPLAUSE) That's something we should be able to do. (APPLAUSE) Every dollar we invest in high-quality early childhoodeducation can save more than seven dollars later on, by boostinggraduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violentcrime. In states that make it a priority to educate ouryoungest children -- like Georgia or Oklahoma -- studies showstudents grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level,graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families oftheir own. We know this works. So let's do what works and makesure none of our children start the race of life already behind.Let's give our kids that chance. (APPLAUSE) Let's also make sure that a high school diploma puts ourkids on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germanyfocus on graduating their high school students with theequivalent of a technical degree from one of our communitycolleges, so those German kids, they're ready for a job whenthey graduate high school. They've been trained for the jobsthat are there. Now at schools like P-TECH in Brooklyn, a collaborationbetween New York public schools and City University of New Yorkand IBM, students will graduate with a high school diploma andan associate's degree in computers or engineering. We need togive every American student opportunities like this. And fouryears ago... (APPLAUSE) Four years ago, we started Race to the Top, a competitionthat convinced almost every state to develop smarter curriculaand higher standards, all for about 1 percent of what we spendon education each year.

OBAMA: Tonight, I'm announcing a new challenge, toredesign America's high schools so they better equip graduatesfor the demands of a high-tech economy. And we'll rewardschools that develop new partnerships with colleges andemployers, and create classes that focus on science, technology,engineering and math, the skills today's employers are lookingfor to fill the jobs that are there right now and will be therein the future. Now, even with better high schools, most young people willneed some higher education. It's a simple fact: The moreeducation you've got, the more likely you are to have a good joband work your way into the middle class. But today,skyrocketing costs price too many young people out of a highereducation or saddle them with unsustainable debt. Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we've madecollege more affordable for millions of students and familiesover the last few years. But taxpayers can't keep onsubsidizing higher and higher and higher costs for highereducation. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, andit's our job to make sure that they do. (APPLAUSE) So, tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher EducationAct so that affordability and value are included in determiningwhich colleges receive certain types of federal aid. (APPLAUSE) And -- and tomorrow, my Administration will release a newcollege scorecard that parents and students can use to compareschools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the mostbang for your educational buck. Now, to grow our middle class, our citizens have to haveaccess to the education and training that today's jobs require.But we also have to make sure that America remains a place whereeveryone who's willing to work -- everybody who's willing towork hard has the chance to get ahead. Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents andingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. (APPLAUSE) And right now, leaders from the business, labor, lawenforcement, faith communities, they all agree that the time hascome to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Now's the timeto do it. (APPLAUSE) Now's the time to get it done. (APPLAUSE) Now's the time to get it done. (APPLAUSE) Real reform means strong border security, and we can buildon the progress my administration's already made, putting moreboots on the southern border than at any time in our history andreducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years. Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway toearned citizenship, a path that includes passing a backgroundcheck, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English,and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying tocome here legally. (APPLAUSE) And real reform means fixing the legal immigration systemto cut waiting periods and attract the highly skilledentrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and growour economy. (APPLAUSE) In other words, we know what needs to be done. And as wespeak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligentlyto draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts. So let's get thisdone. Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in thenext few months, and I will sign it right away. And Americawill be better for it. (APPLAUSE) Let's get it done. Let's get it done. (APPLAUSE) But we can't stop there. We know our economy is strongerwhen our wives, our mothers, our daughters can live their livesfree from discrimination in the workplace and free from the fearof domestic violence. Today, the Senate passed the ViolenceAgainst Women's Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20years ago. And I now urge the House to do the same. (APPLAUSE) Good job, Joe. (APPLAUSE) And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a-- a living equal to their efforts and finally pass the PaycheckFairness Act this year. (APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We know our economy's stronger when we reward anhonest day's work with honest wages. But today, a full-timeworker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year. Even withthe tax relief we've put in place, a family with two kids thatearns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line.That's wrong. That's why, since the last time this Congressraised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirseven higher. Tonight, let's declare that, in the wealthiest nation onEarth, no one who works full time should have to live in poverty-- and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. (APPLAUSE) We should be able to get that done. (APPLAUSE) This single step would raise the incomes of millions ofworking families. It could mean the difference betweengroceries or the food bank, rent or eviction, scraping by orfinally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, itwould mean customers with more money in their pockets. And a whole lot of folks out there would probably need lesshelp from government. In fact, working folks shouldn't have towait year after year for the minimum wage to go up, while CEOpay has never been higher. So here's an idea that GovernorRomney and I actually agreed on last year: Let's tie theminimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes awage you can live on. (APPLAUSE) Tonight, let's also recognize that there are communities inthis country where, no matter how hard you work, it is virtuallyimpossible to get ahead -- factory towns decimated from years ofplants packing up, inescapable pockets of poverty, urban andrural, where young adults are still fighting for their firstjob. America is not a place where the chance of birth orcircumstance should decide our destiny. And that's why we needto build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class forall who are willing to climb them. Let's offer incentives to companies that hire Americanswho've got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have beenout of work so long that no one will give them a chance anymore.Let's put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes inrundown neighborhoods. And this year, my administration will begin to partner with20 of the hardest-hit towns in America to get these communitiesback on their feet. And we'll work with local leaders to targetresources at public safety and education and housing. We'llgive new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. Andwe'll work to strengthen families by removing the financialdeterrents to marriage for low- income couples and do more toencourage fatherhood, because what makes you a man isn't theability to conceive a child, it's having the courage to raiseone. And we want to encourage that. We want to help that. (APPLAUSE) Stronger families. Stronger communities. A strongerAmerica. It is this kind of prosperity -- broad, shared, builton a thriving middle class -- that has always been the source ofour progress at home. It's also the foundation of our power andinfluence throughout the world. Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops andcivilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because ofthem, we can say with confidence that America will complete itsmission in Afghanistan and achieve our objective of defeatingthe core of Al Qaida.

(APPLAUSE) OBAMA: Already we have brought home 33,000 of our braveservicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into asupport role, while Afghan security forces take the lead.Tonight, I can announce that, over the next year, another 34,000American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdownwill continue. And by the end of next year, our war inAfghanistan will be over. (APPLAUSE) Beyond 2014, America's commitment to a unified andsovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of ourcommitment will change. We're negotiating an agreement with theAfghan government that focuses on two missions: training andequipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slipinto chaos and counterterrorism efforts that allow us to pursuethe remnants of Al Qaida and their affiliates. Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is ashadow of its former self. (APPLAUSE) It's true, different Al Qaida affiliates and extremistgroups have emerged, from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa. Thethreat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat,we don't need to send tens of thousands of our sons anddaughters abroad or occupy other nations. Instead, we'll needto help countries like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia provide fortheir own security and help allies who take the fight toterrorists, as we have in Mali. And, where necessary, through arange of capabilities, we will continue to take direct actionagainst those terrorists who pose the gravest threat toAmericans. Now... (APPLAUSE) ... as we do, we must enlist our values in the fight.That's why my administration has worked tirelessly to forge adurable legal and policy framework to guide our counterterrorismefforts. Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed ofour efforts. And I recognize that, in our democracy, no oneshould just take my word for it that we're doing things theright way. So, in the months ahead, I will continue to engageCongress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention andprosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws andsystem of checks and balances, but that our efforts are evenmore transparent to the American people and to the world. Ofcourse... (APPLAUSE) ... our challenges don't end with Al Qaida. America willcontinue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world'smost dangerous weapons. The regime in North Korea must know,they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting theirinternational obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw lastnight will only further isolate them, as we stand by our allies,strengthen our own missile defense, and lead the world in takingfirm action in response to these threats. Likewise, the leaders of Iran must recognize that now isthe time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition standsunited in demanding that they meet their obligations. And wewill do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclearweapon. (APPLAUSE) At the same time, we'll engage Russia to seek furtherreductions in our nuclear arsenals and continue leading theglobal effort to secure nuclear materials that could fall intothe wrong hands, because our ability to influence others dependson our willingness to lead and meet our obligations. America must also face the rapidly growing threat fromcyber attacks. (APPLAUSE) Now, we know hackers steal people's identities andinfiltrate private e-mails. We know foreign countries andcompanies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are alsoseeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financialinstitutions, our air traffic control systems. We cannot lookback years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face ofreal threats to our security and our economy. That's why, earlier today, I signed a new executive orderthat will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasinginformation-sharing and developing standards to protect ournational security, our jobs, and our privacy.

(APPLAUSE) OBAMA: But now -- now Congress must act, as well, bypassing legislation to give our government a greater capacity tosecure our networks and deter attacks. This is something weshould be able to get done on a bipartisan basis. (APPLAUSE) Now, even as we protect our people, we should remember thattoday's world presents not just dangers, not just threats. Itpresents opportunities. To boost American exports, supportAmerican jobs, and level the playing field in the growingmarkets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations on aTrans-Pacific Partnership. And tonight, I'm announcing that wewill launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade andInvestment Partnership with the European Union, because tradethat is fair and free across the Atlantic supports millions ofgood-paying American jobs. (APPLAUSE) We also know that progress in the most impoverished partsof our world enriches us all, not only because it creates newmarkets, more stable order in certain regions of the world, butalso because it's the right thing to do. You know, in many places, people live on little more than adollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies toeradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades, byconnecting more people to the global economy, by empoweringwomen, by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunitiesto serve and helping communities to feed and power and educatethemselves, by saving the world's children from preventabledeaths, and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation,which is within our reach. (APPLAUSE) You see... (APPLAUSE) You see, America must remain a beacon to all who seekfreedom during this period of historic change. I saw the powerof hope last year in Rangoon, in Burma, when Aung San Suu Kyiwelcomed an American president into the home where she had beenimprisoned for years, when thousands of Burmese lined thestreets, waving American flags, including a man who said, ``Thereis justice and law in the United States. I want our country tobe like that.'' In defense of freedom, we'll remain the anchor of strongalliances, from the Americas to Africa, from Europe to Asia. Inthe Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demandtheir universal rights, and support stable transitions todemocracy. (APPLAUSE) We know the process will be messy, and we cannot presume todictate the course of change in countries like Egypt, but we can-- and will -- insist on respect for the fundamental rights ofall people. We'll keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that hasmurdered its own people and support opposition leaders thatrespect the rights of every Syrian. And we will stand steadfastwith Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace. (APPLAUSE) These are the messages I'll deliver when I travel to theMiddle East next month. And all this work depends on the courage and sacrifice ofthose who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk: ourdiplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women ofthe United States armed forces. As long as I'mcommander-in-chief, we will do whatever we must to protect thosewho serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the bestmilitary the world has ever known. (APPLAUSE) We'll invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce wasteand wartime spending. We will ensure equal treatment for allservicemembers, and equal benefits for their families, gay andstraight.

(APPLAUSE) We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters anddaughters and moms, because women have proven under fire thatthey are ready for combat. We will keep faith with ourveterans, investing in world-class care, including mental healthcare, for our wounded warriors... (APPLAUSE) ... supporting our military families, giving our veteransthe benefits and education and job opportunities that they haveearned. And I want to thank my wife, Michelle, and Dr. JillBiden for their continued dedication to serving our militaryfamilies as well as they have served us. (APPLAUSE) Thank you, hon. Thank you, Jill. (APPLAUSE) Defending our freedom, though, is not just the job of ourmilitary alone. We must all do our part to make sure ourGod-given rights are protected here at home. That includes oneof the most fundamental rights of a democracy, the right tovote. (APPLAUSE) Now... (APPLAUSE) When... (APPLAUSE) When any American -- no matter where they live or whattheir party -- are denied that right because they can't wait forfive or six or seven hours just to cast their ballot, we arebetraying our ideals. So... (APPLAUSE) So, tonight, I'm announcing a nonpartisan commission toimprove the voting experience in America. And it definitelyneeds improvement. I'm asking two long-time experts in thefield -- who, by the way, recently served as the top attorneysfor my campaign and for Governor Romney's campaign -- to leadit. We can fix this. And we will. The American people demandit, and so does our democracy. (APPLAUSE) Of course, what I've said tonight matters little if wedon't come together to protect our most precious resource, ourchildren. It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is notthe first time this country has debated how to reduce gunviolence, but this time is different. Overwhelming majoritiesof Americans -- Americans who believe in the Second Amendment --have come together around commonsense reform, like backgroundchecks that will make it harder for criminals to get their handson a gun. Senators... (APPLAUSE) Senators -- senators of both parties are working togetheron tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resaleto criminals. Police chiefs are asking our help to get weaponsof war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, becausethese police chiefs, they're tired of seeing their guys and galsbeing outgunned. Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. (APPLAUSE) Now... (APPLAUSE) If you want to vote no, that's your choice. But theseproposals deserve a vote, because in the two months sinceNewtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations,anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from agun. More than a thousand. One of those we lost was a young girl named HadiyaPendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lipgloss. She was a majorette.

OBAMA: She was so good to her friends, they all thoughtthey were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with herclassmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. Anda week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park afterschool, just a mile away from my house. Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chambertonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose liveshave been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote. (APPLAUSE) They deserve a vote. (APPLAUSE) They deserve a vote. (APPLAUSE) Gabby Giffords deserves a vote. (APPLAUSE) The families of Newtown deserve a vote. (APPLAUSE) The families of Aurora deserve a vote. (APPLAUSE) The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, andthe countless other communities ripped open by gun violence,they deserve a simple vote. (APPLAUSE) They deserve -- they deserve a simple vote. Our actions will not prevent every senseless act ofviolence in this country. In fact, no laws, no initiatives, noadministrative acts will perfectly solve all of the challengesI've outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to beperfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can -- tosecure this nation, expand opportunity, uphold our idealsthrough the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessarywork of self-government. We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans thesame way they look out for one another, every single day,usually without fanfare, all across this country. We shouldfollow their example. We should follow the example of a New York City nurse namedMenchu Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital intodarkness, she wasn't thinking about how her own home was faring.Her mind was on the 20 precious newborns in her care and therescue plan she devised that kept them all safe. We should follow the example of a North Miami woman namedDesiline Victor. When Desiline arrived at her polling place,she was told the wait to vote might be six hours. And as timeticked by, her concern was not with her tired body or achingfeet, but whether folks like her would get to have their say.And hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line insupport of her, because Desiline is 102 years old. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on asticker that read ``I Voted.'' (APPLAUSE) You know... (APPLAUSE) There's Desiline. (APPLAUSE) We should follow the example of a police officer namedBrian Murphy. When a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple inWisconsin, Brian was the first to arrive, and he did notconsider his own safety. He fought back until help arrived andordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the fellowAmericans worshiping inside, even as he lay bleeding from 12bullet wounds. And when asked how he did that, Brian said, ``That's justthe way we're made.'' That's just the way we're made. We may do different jobs, and wear different uniforms, andhold different views than the person beside us. But asAmericans, we all share the same proud title: We are citizens.It's a word that doesn't just describe our nationality or legalstatus. It describes the way we're made. It describes what webelieve. It captures the enduring idea that this country onlyworks when we accept certain obligations to one another and tofuture generations; that our rights are wrapped up in the rightsof others; and that well into our third century as a nation, itremains the task of us all, as citizens of these United States,to be the authors of the next great chapter in our Americanstory. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless these United Statesof America. (APPLAUSE) END